Project report on technical feasibility study on use of petroleum coke in

brick kilns
[Sponsor: Reliance Industries Ltd]

Executive summary

Field trials were conducted on four bricks kilns to examine the technical viability of using
pet coke as fuel during the project. The brick kilns studied included two fixed chimney
BTKs (Bull’s trench kilns) in Haryana, one moving chimney BTK in Gujarat, and one
clamp in Gujarat. Field work was carried out from March to June 2000.

Petcoke use in fixed chimney BTKs in Haryana

Haryana with about 1500 fixed chimney BTKs is an important brick producing state in
the country. Petcoke was successfully used in blended form along with conventional fuels
(coal and saw dust) in two fixed chimney BTKs. A fuel mix containing about 30%–40%
(by weight) petcoke, 20%–30% saw dust (or fuel wood), and 40%–50% coal was found to
be appropriate for fixed chimney BTKs. To use this fuel blend, minor changes in kiln
operation (fuel preparation and feeding practices, etc.) were made. An increase of about
50% in sulphur dioxide emissions was recorded with blends containing 20%–40% pet
coke. A reduction in suspended particulate matter concentration in flue gases and an
increase in carbon monoxide concentration were observed for the trials with petcoke. No
adverse effects on fired brick quality — such as colour, ring, compressive strength, and
water absorption – were observed with petcoke use. Spherical shape and a large
proportion of bigger size (25–50 mm) particles in petcoke caused minor problems in kiln
operation.

Pet coke use in moving chimney BTK and clamp kiln in Gujarat

Lignite is used as fuel in majority of the 1000 moving chimney BTKs in Gujarat. A fuel
mix having 30% petcoke and 70% lignite was successfully used during the field trials. In
this blend, petcoke contributes to about 50% of the energy content. This fuel blend has all
requisite properties of a good fuel for this type of kiln. The fuel blend did not require any
major change in the traditional fuel feeding practice. No increase in sulphur dioxide
concentration was recorded for the petcoke–lignite blends during the brief trials
conducted during the project. Since lignite from Kutch generally has a large
concentration of sulphur (two to six per cent on dry basis), no major change in sulphur
dioxide emissions is expected with the proposed blend. Except for some change in the

The Energy and Resources Institute

Executive summary

colour of the fired bricks, no significant change in the fired brick properties (ring,
compressive strength, and water absorption) was observed.

Besides moving chimney BTKs, Gujarat has about 6000 clamps. Lignite, coal, and boiler
slag are the fuels used in traditional clamps. During field trials, coal, which contributes to
about 30% energy in a traditional clamp in Ahmedabad area, was completely replaced
with petcoke. Yellowing of bricks due to sulphur deposition was observed on bricks
situated on the periphery of the clamp. No major change in fired brick properties was
observed.

The Energy and Resources Institute